Lost A Little Longer
by Fayre Vala
Summary: For most of his life Renji has had to fend for himself. But when a face from his past suddenly emerges, old emotions are rekindled and he learns that being alone is not always for the best. AU. RenRuki. Rated T for Language.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey everyone! So this is my first real fanfic in a looooong time, and I really adore this couple. I guess my inspiration came from midnight conversations with PheonixSong4232 and going to Anime Central and seeing so many Bleach people (I myself cosplayed as Rukia). Needless to say, I would really appreciate reviews/comments/criticism/no flamers/anything else you want to say. Thanks so much, and I hope you enjoy!

_All his life things had gone wrong. The fire, his parents, his current living situation. All his life he had been on the brink of self-destruction. When she came into his life, he began to hope again. But fate was unkind to the boy from the slums. The one good thing that ever happened to him, the one ray of light in his sea of despair, was now being taken away._

No.

_He struggled to find his strength. Battling the unwavering elements, he somehow regained his composure. _I won't lose her.

_His wild eyes scanned the area beyond the front gates, searching for any sign that she might still be there, that he might still have a chance. The rain was so heavy everything was hazy, nothing clear. In the distance, he spotted the outline of an expensive sedan. He blindly stumbled forward, eventually sprinting through the slick earth to find her._

_As he neared the car he could see the uniformed sentries surrounding the passenger's side. He couldn't care less what they were doing or who they were talking to. He had to find her before she left his life forever. Straining his eyes, he could barely make out the outline of a small figure in the back seat. He ran harder as hope that he might succeed overtook his senses. He screamed her name, praying she would hear._

_The figure inside the car started, and the door pushed open. Her delicate frame rose out of the car and her violet eyes locked with his. Just as quickly as he had seen his joy reflected in them, they disappeared. The uniformed men had heard his cry and forced her back into the car. A furious and uncontrollable rage filled him as he heard her muffled cries of his name. He had almost reached the door when he was unceremoniously knocked to the ground. His vision swimming from the blow to his head, a face came in and out of focus, floating just above his. The man he was faced with was handsome, refined, almost regal in aura, yet there was a hard edge to his looks, as though despite his good fortune, he had had a hard life. The boy lay, helpless in the rain, his spirit broken, as the man stood and calmly walked away from the scene. He climbed into the back of the car, the engine revved, and just like that, she was gone._

_The rain pounded unforgivingly on the boy's head as he lay sprawled on the pavement. Tears streamed down his face, lost with the rain, as the hurt of failure and fury raged through him. _

"_RUKIA!"_

Renji woke up screaming.

Once he realized that he was awake, he shut up, threw the covers off of him and sat up, his feet resting against the cold wood floor. Cradling his head in his hands, Renji waited until his heart rate slowed before looking at the clock. 5:25am. He groaned as he realized it would still be another hour and a half before he needed to get ready for school. Knowing he'd never get back to sleep after that, he decided to work out to take the edge off his panic.

He hadn't had that dream in years. Not since he left the orphanage and made his way out into the real world. He'd gotten an apartment, a job, was still in high school, which was saying a lot considering his background. He had made some real friends, he was finally becoming happy. He hadn't even so much as thought about that day since then. Why was it suddenly reoccurring?

At 7:45 he left his single apartment and started the short walk to Karakura High school.

_Seriously, why now? Why after so long? It only comes back when things aren't going well. Things are fine! They're... unless something might... No. That's completely ridicu..._

His thoughts were cut short when all of a sudden he was tackled to the ground by the shortest, thinnest girl he'd ever met. He lay on his back, the irony of this similarity to his dream not lost on him, when a cheerful voice emanated from somewhere above him.

"Renji! Ready for school?" He blinked and his eyes focused on his friends Momo Hinamori and Kira Izuru. They had been his first friends after his escape. They accepted his background and refused to treat him any differently because of it, relieving Renji of any awkward explanations of his past to other people. Momo's expression of delight quickly changed to one of concern once she saw Renji's face.

"Is everything alright?" She slowly helped him up off the ground.

Renji paused before answering. He had never told either of his best friends about his dream, and didn't exactly feel up to explaining it all now, especially since they were probably going to be late. He decided to shrug it off until later. "Yeah, everything is fine," he lied, faking a smile. "Let's go." He headed off in the direction of the school without looking back at them, knowing they hadn't bought his story but hoping they would let the situation drop.

Renji tried his best to forget his dream for his first two periods, Math and P.E. He subconsciously took out his anger and confusion in gym, causing one of the most epic battles of skill and precision between him and Kira in Karakura High Badminton history. Every whack to the birdie drove it to the end of the court, sending Kira into a sporadic frenzy trying to keep up with Renji's wild flurry of serves. It got so intense that every other student stopped to watch. Madarame Ikkaku, one of Renji's classmates, started taking bets halfway through the match on who would win, landing him some serious detention time once the gym teacher, Kyoraku Shunsui, caught wind of the situation.

"Ok, break it up, break it up, everyone! Ikkaku, as much as I love a good gamble myself, I'm not sure gym class is the appropriate place for it. Why don't you try afterschool? I hear the crowds in the back parking lot would be more than happy to entertain your hobby. In the meantime, head over to the principle's office."

Ikkaku started to protest but when he caught sight of Shunsui's raised eyebrow he shut up. He smiled kindly as Ikkaku sullenly exited the gym. "Boys will be boys," he muttered to himself. "Speaking of which! Renji Abarai!"

Renji internally cringed at the sound of his name but was determined to keep the extreme badminton battle raging. He could tell that Kira was becoming increasingly worn out, but as much as he respected his friend, he couldn't control himself enough to stop the onslaught. As his mind processed what he had seen, his body drove the birdie farther and farther away from him. Shunsui waited to interrupt the game until Renji forced the birdie into a nose dive far out of Kira's reach, ceasing the rallies, at least momentarily.

"All right Renji, I think it's time you take a break." The crowd that surrounded him groaned with disappointment, knowing that the show was over. As it dispersed, Shunsui approached Renji and asked in a low tone, "Is everything all right? I know you enjoy gym, but even that was a little more... um, _effort_ than you usually give." He glanced concernedly toward Kira, who lay sprawled on the gym floor, catching his breath. "Anything you want to talk about?"

A moment passed when Renji briefly mulled over the possibility of spilling his guts to his teacher. There was no doubting that the guy was trustworthy, and he was probably one of Renji's favorite teachers at Karakura. But he knew that if he hadn't even told his best friends about the dream, there was no point in telling a teacher. Teachers complicated things.

"No, sir. Nothing."

The rest of his morning classes passed uneventfully, and he was starving by the time lunch rolled around. He shared it with Momo, so he genuinely tried to look happier for her sake. She was just too good a person to worry over what were more than likely insignificant dreams. She tended to concern herself with other people's issues, not caring that it made her physically sick in the process, so he smiled and laughed at the appropriate times to convince her that he was fine.

"So I hear there's a new girl coming today, and they say she's in our class. I really hope she's nice." Momo took a nervous bite out of her sandwich.

"Why wouldn't she be?" Renji wasn't used to Momo appraising people's personalities before she got to know them.

"Well... I hear she's from a private school up north. You know, that one where all the rich families in Tokyo send their kids? I forget the name of it. Anyway, the kids that go there are supposed to have a pretty bad reputation."

This came as a bit of a surprise to Renji. "You're not one to pay much attention to reputations, Momo. Why worry about it?"

Momo bit her lip. "I just... I just don't know if I can handle another rich snob at this school." It took him a second to fully register her words. There weren't that many kids from rich families at Karakura High, but as he thought about what exactly she said, it hit him.

There was a group of students who called themselves the Ouritsu, the Royals. They were only middle class at best, but insisted on being treated like divine monarchs, like God himself had given them the right to reign terror over those below them. Even within themselves, they had a social hierarchy of sorts, and sometimes the seniors would give the underclassmen nearly impossible tasks to show their worth. Momo had been given hell for the last two years because she refused to give up her seat in the library to one of the members her freshman year, and if it weren't for Renji and Kira, Momo probably would have asked to be transferred to another school a long time ago. The addition of an actual rich kid could fuel their egos and be detrimental to Momo's mental health.

Renji tried his pessimistic sarcasm approach to make her feel better. "What's to worry about? If she's nice, she's nice. If she's not, she's not. Chances are, if she's a bitch, she'll hang out with the rest of the Ouritsu and make our lives just as miserable as they already make them. Things won't change too much, Momo. Don't think about it." He had hoped to make Momo see the futility of worrying, but it only seemed to make her fret more.

He sighed heavily, then leaned toward her and took her hand. "Look, I'm sure she's gonna be great. You can make sure to show her around once she gets here. If you get to her first, maybe your infectious personality will rub off on her and she'll ignore the Ouritsu," Renji offered. This seemed to have the desired effect because Momo instantly began devising an interception plan, making sure she got to whoever this girl was first.

He and Momo split up after lunch briefly to make a run to their lockers. Renji often just avoided the entire area of the school where his locker was situated, as it was usually infiltrated with Ouritsu members, but he had inconveniently forgotten his book for English and had to quickly glance over it during his next class to prepare for the reading quiz. Ukitake-sensei was nothing if not consistent in his expectations for his students. He sighed as he entered the combination. Spending time with Momo was beginning to make him realize that brooding all day long was going to get him no where. Sure, he was incredibly confused about the meaning of his reoccurring dream, but he shouldn't let it distract him all day. Obviously nothing hideous had happened up until that point, maybe nothing would happen the rest of the day. Grabbing his beat up copy of _Heart of Darkness_, probably the most pointless text on the face of the planet, he vowed to go back to his usual self. Besides, all the emo was starting to take its toll on his energy levels. He slammed the locker shut with a new-found resolve to be more upbeat.

And of course, as soon as he promised it to himself, his plan fell to shit.

Renji found himself facing quite a sight: a blue-haired giant slamming one Ichigo Kurosaki into the lockers across the hallway from where he stood. Ichigo and Renji had been okay friends since they started high school together. They basically had all the same classes freshman year and he had frequently hung out with him, Momo and Kira. Then Ichigo had been offered a place in the Ouritsu. Everyone assumed that he would accept (you _don't_ reject them, even if you don't want to be in the group), but he refused. The Ouritsu were outraged, and had hounded him ever since, still trying to persuade him to join. After that, Ichigo and Renji grew apart, and he now hung out with other Ouritsu candidates who had turned the chance down: Chad Yasutora, Orihime Inoue, and Uryu Ishida. Sometimes Renji would help Ichigo out with the group, since it was obvious that they'd never wanted him to join in the first place. They never passed up an opportunity to pick a fight with Renji.

The perpetrator of the moment was the current leader of the Ouritsu, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, a junior with a nasty temper and a positively evil sense of humor. He'd taken over leadership at the beginning of the school year, and the daily terrors of last year seemed like rainbows and lollipops in comparison.

"You think you're too good for us, is that it?" Grimmjow growled as he slammed Ichigo against the locker for emphasis.

"Fuck off, Grimmjow. How many times have I told you? I'm not interested. Get that through your think skull before I get pissed enough to teach you a lesson!" It was clear that the strawberry wasn't going down without a fight, and figuring that this conversation was only going to go south, Renji decided to distract the blue fury from his friend before things got out of hand.

"Oy! Lay off him, Grimmjow." At the sound of his name, Grimmjow's head swiveled around to face the red-head, fury burning in his ice blue eyes. At the sight of the newcomer, he smiled with malice and let go of the front of Ichigo's shirt.

"Well, well. Looks like the dog decided to show up. This conversation isn't over, Kurosaki. We'll get you yet." Ichigo caught Renji's eye and gave him a look with a hint of a warning: _Watch yourself, Renji_. The red head just stared back, pleading with his friend to get away from the situation as he had been given an out. Ichigo complied, albeit reluctantly, and nodded his thanks before slipping past Grimmjow and down the hallway.

Grimmjow's attention was fully turned to Renji now. Renji quite frankly expected the worst: a beating, possibly eye gouging, whatever cruel torture Grimmjow was feeling up to today. What he received was nothing of the sort. A laugh.

"You've got balls, Renji, I'll give you that." He couldn't believe his ears. He might actually get off the hook for once. No beating, no detention, no nothing.

"Seeing as I'm in a particularly good mood today, I'll let this little disturbance pass. But just remember this: make sure you steer clear of the new girl."

_What is it with this girl? She's quite the popular topic._

"What's it matter to you whether I do or don't?" Renji countered.

"Come on now, pineapple-head, don't be stupid. We all know she's important and rich as fuck, which means she's destined to become an Ouritsu. We don't want her to be dirtied by being _your_ friend."

Renji's previously lifted spirits plummeted again, the vein in his temple pulsing dangerously. He did not have time for this, and, remembering previous events of the day, his bad mood returned.

"Glad to see that I'm considered a threat to the group's well-being. Usually you pretend I don't exist. I'm honored." Grimmjow's face fell a little, not expecting his insult to be turned around on him.

Renji smiled in triumph. "Now, fuck off, asshole." He strode right past the blue annoyance. He remembered the internal vow he had made for Momo's benefit, trying desperately to appear calm before he met up with her for class. His anger subsided as he drew closer to the Chemistry classroom. As soon as Momo's brown eyes met up with his, he sighed, feeling grateful that she didn't have to worry this time about a black eye or a visible bruise, the usual injuries he sported after an encounter with the Ouritsu. Her smile brought his good mood back. "Hey," he said as they met in the hallway. "You ready?"

He and Momo got to English and took their regular seats next to Kira, the three going over the major plot points in the section of the book they were to have read for the day. As more students trickled in before the bell rang, the noise level exponentially increased, everyone buzzing about the big event that was to take place during class.

"Honestly, I don't see what the big deal is about some hot-shot rich girl transferring into our class." Renji leaned back in his seat, his arms behind his head, supporting its weight. Kira was the first one to answer.

"It's not often that new students arrive at Karakura High period. But according to Orihime, this girl is practically _royalty_. Her family owns like, sixty percent of some huge global corporation. She's no ordinary spoiled brat from the north. Her family is _internationally_ important." Kira looked impressed by the scope of her family's value.

Renji sighed. "Well if she's so fucking famous, why haven't I heard of her?"

"Renji, you don't even know her name! You can't say you haven't heard of her if you don't know her name! Today is _important_!" Momo chimed in cheerily as Ukitake-sensei had entered the classroom, followed closely by Orihime. She hurried to her seat. Class had started, and consequently the moment everyone had waited for all day was about to occur. An eery hush fell over the room.

"Good afternoon, everyone. Today's scheduled reading quiz will have to be postponed until the end of class as we have a rather important person joining our school!" Ukitake positively beamed.

Renji shut his eyes in frustration. _There's that word again, _important._ Whoever created the idea of importance needs to be shot, drawn and quartered._

"Please class, help me in welcoming our new student, Miss Rukia Kuchiki."

Renji's eyes flew open.

_No. Fucking. Way._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you so much everyone for reading! You're what keep me writing. Thanks to PheonixSong423 for giving me a shout out in her latest chapter. You're the best =]**

**So, without further ado, I give you Rukia Kuchiki!**

...

"I can't believe mother and father are allowing this to happen."

Nii-sama's voice had been flowing non-stop all day about his doubts, and frankly, Rukia didn't give a damn what he thought of her plan. It wasn't often that she disregarded his feelings or his orders, but she was too free-spirited to be kept in the suffocating confines of prep school life. Honestly, Rukia was shocked beyond belief when her adoptive parents had agreed to let her attend a public high school, free from their restrictive grasp. She believed that they were treating this as a short-term bout of insanity on her part, that she'd miss the privileged life and beg them to go back to it by the end of the week. They had no idea.

Rukia sighed for the thousandth time that day and closed her eyes, letting her head rest against the interior frame of the sedan and tuned out her brother's mutterings. It was truly amusing to see him so worked up over this. He never cracked his mask of indifference for anything, save the few instances when his eyes would smile, which only happened when he was proud. Usually, he just sat in perfect stillness with a stony expression, and that was on a good day.

"Nii-sama, please. Stop." Some of her exasperation escaped in her request, and the sincerity of her words was enough to knock Byakuya back into his senses.

"Just answer me this one question, Rukia. Why are you doing this?"

She wondered if she could answer him honestly and not incur his wrath. It wasn't that he didn't love her. Far from it. She knew he mostly had her best interest in mind. He even acted like a typical overprotective brother. But therein lay the heart of the problem. He was more than just a little overprotective. There were times when he wouldn't even let her outside of their expansive manor because the weather was less than perfect. It was pretty ridiculous when she thought about all the little, normal teenaged things she hadn't been allowed to do because he protested. She decided to mostly tell the truth.

"I'm doing this because I need to discover who I am in the real world, away from the stringency and insincerity of privileged life. I have ambitions, Nii-sama. I need to see if any of them have a possibility of happening. I can't do that if I'm holed up in a prep school, drinking tea and gossiping with shallow people I don't even like. I can't do that if I'm smothered." _By you._

He didn't appear to like her answer, but at least he let the conversation end there. They had just pulled off the freeway and into town. Her heart leapt as they passed through a residential area, hardly believing that she was about to live somewhere like this.

Since she was already going to miss part of the school day, they decided to drop off most of her things at her new apartment. Byakuya had wanted to find her the most expensive apartment possible that was within walking distance of the high school, but Rukia was adamant about the experience she wanted to have. She _wanted_ the crappy one room apartment she'd chosen and she _hoped_ to have plumbing issues and _couldn't wait _to go grocery shopping for the first time. She craved, more than anything else, to feel what normal kids felt. Well, as normal as kids that lived alone in high school, anyway.

They pulled up to the building, and it was immediately evident that Byakuya did not approve, but he kept his mouth shut to prevent further argument. As soon as the car had made a full stop, Rukia sprang out of the car and breathed in a full breath of city air. It smelled rancid, but instead of balking at the odor, she gulped in more, memorizing each element of it. She'd never smelled anything so putrid in her life, and it felt wonderful. Her life was about to start. Her _real_ life.

...

Rukia had decided to bring as little as possible of her belongings, just the minimum furniture and kitchen supplies, which made her move in process much shorter than she'd anticipated. She brought as many clothes as she could fit into a suitcase and one garment bag, determined to start afresh here. Within about an hour, she was completely moved in, and she couldn't think of anything else to do but change into her uniform and arrive at her new school.

Rukia grabbed her backpack that was already hanging from the hook she'd installed next to the door and was about to set off down the street toward the school, when she felt a strong hand grasp her arm, stopping her before she'd exited the room. She turned to see Byakuya, eyes full of an unfamiliar emotion she'd never seen in him.

"Wait one moment, Rukia. We'll give you a ride to the school."

"Nii-sama..." Rukia started but Byakuya suddenly pulled her into an unexpected embrace. As uncharacteristic as this was of her strict, apathetic older brother, she welcomed this strange turn in his behavior. She could feel that this hug was filled with an unprecedented amount of love, concern and... fear? This last emotion truly caught Rukia off guard. Byakuya wasn't afraid of anything. _What's going on?_

"Nii-sama," Rukia muttered into his blazer, "I'll be fine. I promise. The school is just down the road, it won't take me but 5 minutes to get there."

Byakuya shook his head slightly and pulled away enough to look her in the eyes. "It is my duty as your brother to see you safely to the school. Once you are there, I promise we will leave." She could tell that there was something he wasn't telling her, but the tenderness of the moment was too great for her to press him any farther. She buried her face once more, tightening her arms around him and nodded softly.

"Thank you, Nii-sama."

...

It was an extremely short drive to the high school. It was clear the Byakuya was more upset than he was letting on, but Rukia was too excited for what was to come to really care. Maybe one day he would come to realize that this was the right decision for her. Personally, she couldn't wait to start this new chapter in her life.

The sleek black car pulled up to the front entrance to the school, where a significant amount of people were waiting outside to greet her. _I thought this was supposed to be a quiet transition._ Suspecting her brother was the source of this unexpected turn of events, she shot a furtive glance his way. He remained as passive as ever, avoiding her gaze almost deliberately, as if he knew she was going to hate what was coming next. Rukia sighed and rolled her eyes, ready for the hype to be over with.

She wasn't quite sure why it was that she thought she could have a normal teenaged experience. _Of course_ people were bound to know who she was and what she'd come from. What no one understood, however, was the fact that she never felt like she belonged in that lifestyle. Nii-sama especially had no patience for her lack of understanding and graciousness for the privilege she'd been granted by being taken in by the Kuchiki family. But of course he'd feel that way. They'd all been born into it. It was in their DNA. Rukia, on the other hand, had been born into... what? She had no idea, but somehow she knew it was nothing like this. Adoption is a tricky thing. You feel grateful that someone cares enough to take you into their family, but there's always a part of you that knows it's not where you truly belong.

It seemed like ages before Rukia had shaken all the hands and taken all the pictures and finally emerged, whole but slightly shaken, from the crowd into the halls of the building. She just stood in the entryway, eyes wide with anticipation and maybe a little panic, taking in all the sights that presented themselves to her.

Walls lined with grey lockers, lame motivational posters pinned to bulletin boards, surrounded by flyers for clubs and extra curricular activities, throngs of students in matching grey and white uniforms, the sounds of lockers shutting and loud, boisterous chatter. Everything was exactly the same as her obnoxious prep school. Except there was a fundamental element of difference. Everything was _alive_ here. Emotions ran high, so high that they were almost tangible, palpable. At The Yutaka Academy for Prodigious Scholars, the atmosphere was so dead it was suffocating. Already, Rukia's brain was overwhelmed with new sensations and sights and sounds, but there was something in the back of her mind that reminded her that this was the life she should have been leading all along. She vaguely registered the principal of the school approaching her and welcoming her, when she felt a uniform pushed into her hand by what must have been her brother. She was still slightly dazed when she went into the bathroom to change, storing her jeans and sweater in her bag. As she emerged from the stall, she examined herself in the mirror. It was really no different from her Yutaka uniform, but for some reason it made her unusually more confident. More aware. More of everything.

As soon as she'd regained her composure, Rukia walked out of the restroom to face a girl about her age with orange hair and a rather well endowed front. She seemed very energetic and very nervous as they exchanged smiles.

"Hello Miss Kuchiki," the girl bowed to her. "My name is Orihime Inoue! I am very pleased to meet you. I've been instructed to show you around the school before we head to History! I hope you are feeling well?" Orihime's enormous eyes were swimming with true concern for the newcomer. Rukia wondered if she was always this sincere or if she was just going through the motions. Something in the girl's demeanor told her that this was not a rare occurrence.

"I'm feeling very well, thank you!" She bowed back. Briefly, her eyes scanned the entryway for her brother, but he was no where to be found. "Um, my brother, has he...?"

"Oh, Mr. Kuchiki and his driver left a minute or two ago. He instructed me to take very good care of you today, Miss Kuchiki!" Orihime, still acting on nerves, bowed again. Rukia was getting fed up with all this "Miss Kuchiki" nonsense. She wasn't her mother.

"Please, call me Rukia. The less people treat me like royalty, the better." She could tell that this took Orihime by surprise. _What, do people really expect me to walk around this school like I own the place?_ She thought about it for a moment. The family name. The international reputation. The bazillions of dollars. _Oh._

She spotted the baffled expression on the orange-haired girl's face and felt compelled to speak. "I'm serious. I want to be treated as normally as possible. I don't want any special treatment or any kind of unnecessary recognition. For anything. I've had enough of high society. It's just... not me. " _I've known this girl, what, two seconds, and I'm already explaining my life problems to her? GREAT way to start your first day of school, Rukia, absolutely fabulous._ Even though she was slightly embarrassed about unloading to a perfect stranger, she could see that Orihime was smiling kindly, her eyes reflecting a certain amount of relief. Rukia felt like she could trust her.

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear that, Rukia. Come on, I'll show you around!"

...

For the large number of students that went to Karakura High, it sure was a small complex. The tour in its entirety probably only lasted about 15 minutes, and that included Orihime's longwinded explanations of each class they were going to have together. She took Rukia through all the hallways, pointing out each wing that housed a subject, the gym, the art rooms, band and choir rooms, and lastly the cafeteria. It was completely full of students enjoying a brief break from the stress of their academic lives, and Rukia was just thinking that she was going to particularly enjoy this time of day when something strange happened. Orihime was eager to take Rukia around the court yard, and was just motioning for her to follow when out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the most remarkable head of red hair. She paused and turned to see who it belonged to. The figure had his back turned to her, but there was something about the spiky ponytail that nagged at some memory in the back of her mind. She couldn't place where, but she knew that she'd seen this person before. _If only he'd turn around..._

Just then, Orihime tugged on her arm, pulling Rukia out of her reverie, begging her to come outside and enjoy the afternoon sun.

Once the tour was over, they'd been instructed to attend their first class together, history. Yamamoto-sensei was extremely old and droned on and on, allowing her mind to wander. _Who was that guy? Why does he seem so damn familiar?_ She knew it should be obvious where she'd seen that striking red mane. You don't just forget something that unusual. She became so lost in her thoughts that Orihime had to shake her vigorously to snap her back into reality when class was over.

"Come on! We only have English left today. I know you'll love Ukitake-sensei! He's so nice, and he really tries to help when we don't understand something..." Rukia let Orihime talk excitedly as she blindly followed her through the halls to the English wing. As she followed the gushing girl, Rukia could feel the stares that followed her as she passed by anonymous figures in the hallway. Whispers circulated above her head as the news of her arrival spread like wildfire among the student body. All the attention was starting to wear on Rukia's nerves, but she steeled herself against those thoughts. She was going to be getting this all day.

The bell rang just as they rounded the corner to the hallway where her classroom was situated. She could see that Orihime was leading her straight toward a door on the right side of the hallway, where a tall, slim figure was waiting for them. The man had silver, long hair and wore a benevolent expression. He smiled as the two girls approached him.

"Hello. You must be Miss Kuchiki. I am Jushiro Ukitake, your English instructor. It truly is an honor to meet you." He extended a hand to her, which she quickly accepted and shook.

"Please, Ukitake-sensei, don't make a big deal out of my being here. I'm genuinely grateful to have the opportunity to come here, so please, treat me as you would any student. I wish for no special treatment."

"Elegantly stated. I'll be sure to honor your request. Please, wait here as I announce your arrival to the rest of the class. They' will surely be... happy to meet you." He nodded once and entered the room.

Orihime leaned in to whisper in Rukia's ear. "Happy is an understatement. People have been positively dying for you to get here." She smiled at her new friend quickly before following the teacher into the room, leaving Rukia to wait by herself. She could hear the talk die down almost instantaneously as Ukitake-sensei began talking. Through the cracked door, she couldn't hear much, but caught the word "important." Rukia groaned. If there was one thing in this world that made her want to vomit, it was the concept of importance.

"... Miss Rukia Kuchiki."

That was her cue.

…

The first thing Rukia noticed upon entering the room was the distinct lack of sound. She stepped through the door into an abyss of silence, every single pair of eyes locked onto her small frame. As much as she hated being stared at, it was rather unavoidable at this point. She plastered a smile onto her face as she came to a stop in front of Ukitake-sensei's desk and turned to face the class. _So much for no 'special treatment.'_

She was rather unimpressed with the majority of the faces that ogled unashamedly up at her, but as soon as she thought that, she internally scolded herself. _It's not my place to judge these people. I willingly joined their ranks. They're my equals._

Ukitake spoke some about her background, and she blushed in embarrassment. She scanned her new classmates to distract her mind from this public humiliation. She immediately spotted Orihime in the front row, surrounded by a fierce looking girl with black hair, a freakishly tall, dark-skinned... was he a man or a boy? Rukia could only assume he was her age if he was in her class, but was still unsure as she turned her eyes to the black-haired guy to Orihime's right, wearing sharp glasses and an even sharper expression. Directly in front of him, next to Orihime, was an orange haired guy she vaguely recognized from History, clearly not interested at all in what was going on in class, but was far more fascinated with the view outside the window. Orihime was nudging him in the ribs to pay attention. Rukia couldn't help wonder at his disinterest in her, as people had taken far too much care to drown her with her attention during her childhood. She kind of liked his indifference. _He's pretty hot, too._

Toward the back, she spotted a bubbly girl with raven hair, practically jumping out of her seat in what appeared to be ecstatic joy. As much as she hated the attention, Rukia couldn't help thinking the girl looked honest and sweet, and made a note to approach her at the end of class. Two friends at the end of the day was better than one, after all. Two guys sat on either side of her, the one on her left a blonde who looked extremely nervous in her presence.

Her eyes roamed to the figure to the girl's right, in the corner, and she was taken aback when she noticed that his eyes were unwaveringly staring her down. Not in wonderment, not in reverence, but in shock and panic. She started under the intensity of his gaze, suddenly unable to tear hers away from the depths of his brown eyes. She was captivated. Her heart seized in her chest as her head wrestled with something in the back of her mind. Something was so familiar about this gaze, this connection, this unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach. She regained control of her senses long enough to pull her eyes away from his and take in the rest of person that belonged to that stare. She immediately recognized the red, spiky hair from the lunchroom. His face was frozen in an expression of simultaneous euphoria and dread, regret flashing across his features momentarily before the battle between his two conflicting emotions raged on. Rukia didn't understand. Why was it that he was so conflicted at the sight of her? And still, her mind struggled within itself to place his memory, the recent years of her life racing through her mind. Her eyes gravitated to his, unable to resist their fire and life. As they met for a second time, her mind flashed upon something so brief she almost wasn't sure if she'd remembered anything at all. One scene, the picture of a boy sprawled on the pavement outside a car window, growing smaller and smaller. Her eyes bore into his, searching them for answers. She flashed again to herself, very young, struggling against an arm much stronger than her own, screaming one name again and again in desperate hopes that he would hear...

"_Renji_..."

"What's that, Miss Kuchiki?"

Rukia felt as though she'd been slapped across the face, her reverie disappeared so quickly. She turned to face Ukitake-sensei and realized that she had whispered the name allowed, but no one appeared to have heard what she had said. Remembering where she was and what she was doing, Rukia hastily turned to face the students.

"My apologies. I am very pleased to meet you all and it is my dearest hope to get to know each and every one of you!" Rukia smiled and bowed to her classmates, and was asked to take a seat behind Yasutora, which she quickly learned was Orihime's giant friend whom she'd confused for an adult. As she sat in the desk, Rukia realized how weak her legs had become and how drained of energy she felt. She pulled out her copy of _Heart of Darkness_ as the class discussion began, but found any semblance of attention beyond her reach. She stole glances across the room at the mysterious red-haired boy from her past, who had now retreated back into an air of passive indifference that befitted any teenaged boy stuck in a boring class. As Rukia looked harder, though, she noticed the rigid line of his shoulders and knew he was lost in thought, just as she was.

_Well. This day couldn't have gotten _any_ more interesting._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Special thanks to my reviewers, who have been really awesome so far! I'm so glad that you enjoy this story so much. Some really fun things are in store, and I can't wait for everyone (including me!) to discover where this journey is headed!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own or control Bleach or any of its characters.**

Renji couldn't believe his ears. Or eyes. Or... whatever. He couldn't believe any of it. How was it that he'd finally moved past the incident all those years ago that took her away from him, and just like that she walked back into his life without so much as a polite warning? His heart was going five kinds of crazy, trapped in the confines of his ribcage. He needed to leave. He needed time to think about what his next move was.

Nothing was clear anymore. He thought he'd had perfect control over the events in his life. After all, it was a life he'd had to build for himself from scratch. Never once did he anticipate something like this. Renji had always assumed that once Rukia had been adopted, that would be it, that would be the last he saw of her. He'd failed to save her years before, and that failure had haunted every moment Renji had spent alone ever since. Now, with her here, he would be reminded of that failure even more harshly. He couldn't bring himself to peer across the room at her. He didn't think his heart could take it if he looked up and saw that he was hallucinating, that she hadn't really walked in the door to his English classroom, that some other horrendously rich kid had transferred to Karakura. But even more than that, he didn't think his heart could take it if he looked up and saw that she was, in fact, there. In the same room as him, sharing the same air, the same space, for the first time in almost eight years.

He endured the torturous fifty minutes of his last class of the day, praying for the bell to ring. Several times he could feel her eyes on him. He knew she recognized him. How could she not? Their time in the orphanage had been bearable only because they had spent it with each other. _You just don't forget that kind of relationship._

Finally, mercifully, the bell rang. He half-regretted snatching up his bag and sprinting out the door before anyone else had had the chance to even move, but he couldn't confront her yet. He knew that much about himself. As he launched himself out the doors of the school and down the street toward his apartment, Renji prayed that she would be distracted and wouldn't resent his behavior.

_Why now?_

…

Rukia watched him dash out of the room. Her heart sank a bit as she realized that he hadn't even looked at her, didn't acknowledge her presence in any way after what happened at the beginning of class. She continued to stare at the doorway, secretly hoping that he'd return claiming to have forgotten something, just to talk to her privately, when she could feel a different pair of eyes on her face. She turned reluctantly to see the cheerful-looking girl that Renji had been sitting with. She forced a smile and bowed to the girl.

"Um, excuse me Miss Kuchiki..."

"Please, call me Rukia."

"Oh, right! Rukia... um, my name is Momo Hinamori. I was wondering if anyone had taken the time to show you around the school yet! My afternoon is free, and I thought that perhaps you could use a friend?" Momo looked very hopeful, and Rukia felt bad about turning her tour down, but thought she could use a friend this afternoon, especially one that knew and was friends with Renji.

"Oh, wow, that's very kind of you. I've actually already had a tour, but I'd really love to ask you some questions, if you're sure you're free." Rukia could see the girls' face brighten at her acceptance.

"Okay! Meet me at the front in ten minutes!"

…

Rukia had nothing to do for the ten minutes she had to wait. She leaned against the lockers on the inside of the front entrance to the school and tried thinking up questions to ask Momo when she returned.

_What is he like? When did he come here? Does he ever talk about his past? Has he ever... mentioned me?_ There were hundreds of questions swirling around in her head, but eventually she decided on the ones that sounded the least desperate for information. She checked her phone. Only two minutes had passed. _Seriously? I'm going to go crazy if I can't find something to do for the next eight minutes!_ She kicked the locker behind her in frustration. _Wait. That's it!_

Rukia walked over to the front office and politely waited until the woman behind the desk looked up at her. When she'd finally obtained her attention, she bowed and said, "Hello, my name is Rukia Kuchiki. I'm a new student here and I have not yet received my locker assignment." The woman started at her name, but then a kind smile crossed her face.

"Let's see if we can't change that, shall we?" She opened a drawer to her right and pulled out a manilla file, sifting through papers that were surely filled with names and locker numbers. "Here's one that's empty, in the east wing, near the math classrooms. Number 2257. Here's the combination." The woman slid a small sheet of paper across the desktop to her. "Do you need any help finding it?"

"Oh no, I've received the tour. I'm sure I can find my way there. Thank you very much." Rukia bowed once more then exited the office and climbed the stairs to the east wing of the school.

It didn't take her long to find the locker in question. It was right outside the room that Orihime had said was her trig class. She stood before locker 2257, inhaled sharply, and entered the combination. The inside was just as bland as the outside, completely empty and devoid of color, but there was a sense of finality about it, and Rukia really felt like it belonged to her. _My first public school locker!_

She placed some of her heavier textbooks at the bottom, those for the classes that she had yet to attend. Looking at the bare inside, she vowed to bring things tomorrow to give her locker some character and life.

She shut the locker door, and started to walk back to the stairs but was stopped by an enormous figure. For a moment her heart lept, thinking it might be Renji, but as soon as her eyes spotted the blue hair and icy eyes, she felt the burn of disappointment. This newcomer smiled crookedly down at her.

"You must be the new kid, the Kuchiki." Rukia was not impressed by his welcoming skills.

"Yes, my name is Rukia Kuchiki. Who, may I ask, are you?"

"I'm Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. I'm here on behalf of the Ouritsu, a group of elite students dedicated to making this school a better place to live and learn. As a member of elite society yourself, we want to extend to you an offer of membership. We believe that with you by our side, we could get a lot of things done, a lot of changes made. What do you say?"

Rukia was immediately turned off by his use of the word "elite," like it was something to crave or lust after. She'd had enough experience with the elite to know that it was full of corruption and greed, and something about the undertones in Grimmjow's voice told her that he was no different. '_A better place' my ass. I bet if I asked anyone at this school, they'd scream and run away at the very mention of this Ouritsu group._

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I will have to decline your offer. I have no interest in being an elitest. All I want is to lead a normal, teenaged life." Rukia sidestepped the giant and began her descent down the stairs. Before she'd gotten halfway down, however, she felt a strong hand grip her shoulder and slam her into the wall. Rukia let out a cry in her shock, the railing digging into her back. Grimmjow seized her wrists and pressed all his weight into them, rendering Rukia defenseless.

"Look, I don't know who you think you are, but no one refuses an offer from the Ouritsu. Especially not spoiled, stuck-up rich kids like you." Venom coursed through his words, piercing his prey and effectively paralyzing her with fear. "You think you're better than everyone else here, but I can assure you that there is no one here who can protect you from us. You _will_ join us or your life at this school will become a living nightmare until you do." Grimmjow lowered his face, contorted with rage, until his mouth was hovering beside her ear. "Now," he whispered with a sickeningly fake sweetness, "I'm going to ask you again. Will you, or will you not join the Ouritsu?"

Rukia couldn't see any way out of her situation. If she'd had control of her arms, she could have punched him and escaped, but even her legs were immobilized by her attacker's body weight. She started to panic, wondering if maybe his words were true. Maybe there wasn't anyone there who could protect her from them. Her resolve started to crumble. If that was the only way out, then she was going to have to give in.

She opened her mouth to give her answer, when suddenly the pressure all around her disappeared with the sound of a body thudding down the stairs. She looked up in confusion to see the orange-haired guy from her English class glaring daggers down at Grimmjow, who was was now crouched at the bottom of the staircase, wiping blood off of his lip.

"Kurosaki..." he muttered.

"I believe she denied your offer. Why don't you crawl back to whatever shit hole you came from and learn to recognize when you've lost? You've hit a new low, Grimmjow. Slamming girls into walls? You make me sick," the orange-haired boy spat at his enemy. He then grabbed Rukia's arm and all but carried her down the stairs, past the huddled mess that was Grimmjow, and out the front door.

When they were across the street, he finally stopped and turned to her. "Sorry about him. The Ouritsu are filled with ignorant, stupid people that will stop at virtually nothing to have their way. I'd hoped they would give you at least a day to yourself before trying to recruit, but once they catch wind of new blood, they can't help but pounce." He paused to brush the hair out of his eyes. "Anyway, sorry that we couldn't have been introduced before that bastard got to you. I'm Ichigo Kurosaki." He held out a hand. Rukia took it, glad that someone wasn't gushing over her presence or practically threatening her life.

"Rukia Kuchiki." Ichigo started to walk away, but there was a question that she was burning to ask him. "Tell me something."

He turned briefly to face her. "Hmm?"

"I couldn't help but wonder if maybe the Ouritsu have given you trouble before, too?"

Ichigo paused before answering. "Yeah." He laughed slightly. "You could say that." And with that, he disappeared around the corner.

…

Renji slammed the door to his apartment as soon as he'd crossed the threshold. Pausing to catch his breath, he leaned slowly against the door, cradling his head in his hands for the second time that day. He'd literally sprinted from the school to his building, putting as much distance as possible between him and his problem. _What am I supposed to say to her after all these years?_

He didn't have much time to think about it, as a quiet knock startled him out of his thoughts. Berating himself for not checking to see that she hadn't followed him, Renji cautiously looked through the peep hole, then let out a sigh of relief. He yanked open the door gracelessly.

"Look, Kira, this really isn't the best... hey, what are you doing?" Renji yelled as Kira pushed past him and walked into his apartment, promptly sitting himself down on the couch. As it was clear that Kira wasn't leaving until he had his friends' full attention, Renji reluctantly shut the door with slightly more force than was necessary. "What?"

"What's wrong?"

"What do you mean, what's wrong? Nothing's wrong. Everything's fine."

Kira shot Renji a knowing look. "Yes. Everything's fine. That's why you couldn't _wait_ to get out of English today." Renji laughed.

"I hate that class, you know that. I can _never_ wait to get out of there." He started toward the kitchen.

"Renji, you know what I'm implying. Don't think I didn't notice the look you gave that girl." The red head stopped short, dread unfurling in the pit of his stomach. _This was _not_ where I thought this conversation was headed._ He slowly turned to face Kira, who was now standing. _Avoid topic, avoid topic at all costs._

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about."

"What aren't you telling me, Renji? What is it about this girl? I can always tell when something's bothering you. Whatever it is, I'm sure..."

"You're not sure of anything. You don't know what the hell you're talking about!" 

"Calm down. I'm only trying to help."

"Well you're not, ok? So can you just go away and leave me alone?"

"Renji..."

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE!" He turned away from his friend and stalked into the kitchen, leaning against the counter by his hands, shaking from head to toe in rage and hurt. _Why does she still do this to me? After all this time... _He felt a headache forming and pinched the skin between his eyes to dull the pain.

Renji could hear Kira approach him from behind and registered a gentle hand resting on his shoulder. "I think it's time you explain the significance of Miss Rukia Kuchiki."

...

Momo turned up shortly after Ichigo left. "Ah! I'm sorry it took me so long to get here. I had a few more errands to run than I thought." Her cheeks were flushed, but other than that, Momo seemed very energetic and eager to help. Rukia smiled.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I got a few things done myself." _And almost died in the process._

"So, you said you had some questions?" Momo started down the street. About a dozen questions popped into Rukia's head at once, but surprisingly none of them were about Renji at all.

"Momo, what are the Ouritsu?" She could tell she'd inadvertantly struck a nerve when Momo flinched at the name. She backtracked. "I'm sorry. You don't have to answer if you don't want. I didn't mean..."

"No, it's alright. I just... haven't had the best time with them." Momo heaved a sigh before continuing. "The Ouristu are a group of students, mostly upperclassmen, that have been terrorizing the student body for years. They bully lowerclassmen or kids just too weak to stand up to them, act like they're gods and that everyone should worship the ground they walk on. They usually only take rich kids or people that they can use in some way, and once they invite you to join, it's expected that you accept, otherwise they'll make your life miserable. Any time someone is brave enough to stand up to them and get the administration involved, their case mysteriously gets dropped. No complaint has ever gotten past the principal. Because of that, there have been some pretty crazy rumors."

Rukia was intrigued. "Like what?"

"Oh, they're completely insane. They're not worth worrying about." Momo dismissed the topic a little too flippantly for Rukia to believe her. She pressed the girl for information, feeling slightly guilty, but her curiousity got the better of her.

"Just tell me one. Please?"

Momo hesitated, apprehension licking her features as she made up her mind. "Well... There's this one. Supposedly a lot of people say that the Ouritsu are sponsored by a high security business somewhere around town, that they're paid to be in the group in exchange for providing... _special services_." The last two words were whipsered, as if the girl feared that someone might overhear them.

Rukia was thoroughly confused. "What would anyone want high school students for?"

"No one knows. I'm not even sure that I believe the rumors myself. The idea that some corporation would pay teenagers to do illegal work for them is kind of far-fetched, but there are a lot of people that buy into. They say there's no other explanation for why people keep ignoring their actions."

"Does anyone have any theories as to what business might be their sponsor? Or what kind of work they're trying to get done?"

Momo shook her head. Rukia walked beside her companion quietly for a moment before something Momo had said struck her.

"You said 'their actions.' What do you mean by that? Just the bullying?" She looked over at Momo's face and immediately wished she hadn't asked. The girl had stopped walking and looked to be almost physically pained by something, clearly brought on by her question. Guilt washed over Rukia and she wished that she'd kept her mouth shut. She was about to apologize when Momo spoke in a small voice.

"No. There have been several instances when the bullying escaladed into real violence. One student my freshman year had one whole side of his face badly burned. Two disappeared last year and no one has heard from them since. The teachers said later that they moved away suddenly, but no one truly believes that. And..." Momo closed her eyes as a tear slid down her face. "Earlier this year they did this." Rukia watched in horror as the girl lifted the hem of her shirt to reveal a long gash down Momo's left side, still raised and pink as it tried to heal. Rukia didn't dare ask how the Ouritsu had inflicted such an injury on her, or how they'd gotten away with it. Momo lowered her shirt then gently took Rukia's hand in hers.

"Please Rukia. Please promise me that you try your best to avoid them."

Violet eyes locked with chocolate ones. "Don't worry, Momo. I'll never join the Ouritsu."

…

Renji closed his eyes. "I can't really put into words just how awful it was in that orphanage. It was more like a penetentiary than anything else, the windows and doors were barred and everything. I spent my almost entire childhood there. I was treated like some sort of common criminal, just because my parents had had the nerve to die. After the fire, none of my extended family had the room to take me in, and I knew that they regretted allowing me to enter the system, but I resented them all for not finding some other way for me to grow up. Anywhere but that God awful place.

"Anyway, I spent two long, lonely years there before anything started looking up for me. When I was six or so, a girl showed up one night at dinner. It was one of those ridiculous, fairytale entrances, the kind that you don't think ever happen in real life. It was pouring rain, it had been for days, when we heard someone pounding on the door. The matron went to answer it, and all she found when she opened the door was this little girl, completely soaked, looking up at her with huge, violet eyes. It was Rukia. There was no indication of where she'd come from or whether or not she was supposed to be there, but the matron wasted no time in taking her in. She commanded me to show her around the building, not that there was much to show, and at the end Rukia ended up chosing the bed right next to mine. From that moment on, we were inseparable.

"The next two years were... God, I don't even know how to describe them. They were probably the happiest years I've ever had. Rukia and I did everything together. We played, we fought, we talked about our past, about what we liked and disliked and what we wanted to do with our lives once we left, and never once was there ever any doubt that we wouldn't be together in the future. One day in spring, when we were eight, we even talked about what we'd be doing together when we grew up and got married. Freaking _married_." Renji gave a laugh drenched in irony, running his hand through his hair as he leaned back against the couch.

"That's when _he_ showed up."

"He? Who's he?" Kira stared at his friend with a strained expression.

"Him. The Kuchiki. He was young, but even then he was so sophisticated and adult that it made me want to scream. He started coming around a few times later that spring. Into the summer, he'd start showing up every week, always talking to Rukia, alone. I was so bored whenever she was gone, and I had no idea what the hell he was there for. None of the kids had gotten adopted since I arrived, so I had no reason to know what adoption was, but I could tell something was up. The orphanage workers would whisper about her, Rukia. They seemed excited, like whatever was about to happen to her was some sort of miracle. But she didn't think it was. Every time Rukia got back from one of her sessions with Kuchiki, she seemed more and more upset, but she was so damn stubborn that she wouldn't talk about it, even with me." Renji laughed again, but this time it was filled with affection. "She and I were always alike that way..."

"When did you figure out what was going to happen?"

Renji's smile faded. "Late summer. Right before school started. She came to me three days before she left and explained everything. That he was from a rich family in the city. That his parents had always wanted a daughter, but couldn't have anymore kids. That they required someone with what she called 'dignity and grace,' words that meant nothing to me until I learned what they meant later. Nothing in my life up until that point had ever been dignified or graceful... she was the only thing that came close. Anyway, he said that she was perfect for their family and that they wanted to adopt her, the paperwork had already been filled out and processed. The family's money had bought them a faster processing time, and she was to move out in three days. She held a flower out to me to... I don't know, break the news or something. I went ballistic, shoving the flower away from me and getting as far away from her as I could. Yet another tragedy in my fucked up childhood.

"I'll never forget the day she disappeared from my life. We hadn't talked her last days there... well... more like _I _didn't talk to _her_. I was too upset to face her after what she'd told me, I didn't know how to cope. I still don't really. It was pouring rain that day. I locked myself in my room, but I could still hear the voices downstairs. His voice. Thanking the staff for their time with her and assuring them that she would be 'taken care of.' His voice made me sick to my stomach, so I curled up against my pillow as I heard the front door shut. That's when I felt it. She'd stuck another flower under my pillow, a tiny, white daisy. Her favorite. And I couldn't stand it anymore.

"I raced downstairs and out the door, into the rain. Her car was just outside the gate, and I had almost reached her when _he_ knocked me over. Kuchiki. I could hear him get into the car and drive away... and I had failed. I had failed us, and her, and our dream. Our entire future was suddenly no longer possible. I couldn't accept it. After she left, I ran away seventeen times looking for her. One time I got as far as Sapporo before anyone found me and turned me back in. I gave up looking after a year and just... shut down. I got so depressed that I stopped talking to anyone for three years before the staff bothered to do anything about it. That's when they called Urahara. You know, my boss? They called him up and asked him if he could do anything for me, to get me out of that environment. It held too many memories and all it did was constantly remind me of her... That and they were tired of dealing with me. When he showed up, Urahara offered me a chance to an education and a real future, one away from the orphanage. I barely even remember moving to Karakura Town, but things started to look up for me. I had a job at his shop, I was making money and could support myself... I really owe him a lot.

"But even with my success, I never forgot Rukia. Even into my first couple months here, I had nightmares about the day she left. Gradually, as things started getting better, the nightmares got less frequent, and suddenly they just stopped. I haven't had the dream at all since I started high school, so when I woke up this morning after having it... I guess I was shaken up."

"Shaken up is an understatement." Kira interjected, remembering that morning when Momo had actually caught him off guard. Renji looked at him for the first time since he started talking. And lost it. He started laughing at Kira's stupid comment, laughing because it was true, laughing at all of his misfortune, laughing because Rukia had suddenly walked into his life again and laughing because he didn't know what the hell to do about it. Kira stared at him in confusion for a second before nervously joining in. Eventually, Renji's spasms subsided and the two fell silent.

Kira broke first. "So... what are you going to do?"

"Honestly? I have no fucking clue. Just take it one day at a time, I suppose." Kira nodded, knowing that this year was going to be supremely interesting.

"I'd better be heading home." Kira stood up and crossed to the door, leaving Renji alone on the couch. He yanked open the door and started to step out, but before he left, he turned back to his red-haired friend. "Renji?"

A pause. "Yeah?"

"Thanks for telling me." And with that he was gone.

Renji sat, alone in his apartment, for a few minutes, making up his mind about something. When he finally decided, he dialed two numbers into his cell phone. The first was Urahara, telling him that something had come up and that he couldn't come into work that day, but promised to make up the hours over the weekend. He hung up and dialed the second number. It rang on the other end twice before an overly feminine voice answered.

"Renji?"

"Rangiku, I need to drink tonight."

...

**A/N: Soooo. I didn't know that this chapter was going to go in that direction, but it helped me figure out where I wanted to go with the rest of the story, so I figure that's a pretty good trade off!**

**Just to let you guys know, I hope to get another chapter up within the next two weeks but it is entirely possible that it might take me a little longer. I'm going on a really extensive trip soon, and I might not update until after, but we shall see.**

**So in the meantime, please read and review! You guys are wonderful!**


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